Tokyo ni ikimashita! So, I’m back. Back to the country (as in pastoral, not nation). Away from the people. Away from the largest city on the face of the earth. Yes, folks, I spent my spring break in Tokyo. Something that I can safely say, I never really dreamed I would do. Whether because I lacked the desire or just never thought it possible is up for debate, but either way I did it, and I survived. Spring Break officially began for us junior high teachers on March 28, but since I had a doctor’s appointment on the 30th, I had to stick around for a few more days. During this time, by the way, we had what I would classify as a small blizzard in Funehiki. Not exactly ideal weather. But anyway, I went to the doctor in the afternoon, and after waiting for three hours to talk to the man (who actually spoke fluent English and seemed to know what was going on), ordered some blood tests. Now, if you know me well, you know my needle-phobia, so I made sure to tell the nurse doing the poking that “hari wa muzukashii desu” (needles are difficult [for me]). The only reason I knew the first word, is because that’s how I originally pronounced my name here (though now I’m a “canal” not a “needle”.) I didn’t know the knowledge would come in so handy. The blood-taking, though, made me appreciate Japan and its detail-oriented culture on a new level. I had zero traces of the three-vial blood sucking activity the next day. And I didn’t keel over on the floor afterward (almost, but I did make it). So, that evening I headed to Shinkjuku (in Tokyo) with Patty by bus to meet Tammy, her college roommate, her cousin Tiffany, and her cousin’s fiancé Keith. I was stressing out the whole time, because I was warned by multiple people that the station was crazy. They were right. When we finally found the entrance (the bus stop was a little bit away from the actual station), I just stood there and wanted to cry. I’ve never seen so many people rushing in so many directions. The trains alone had like 16 different lines going. I felt very lost. Luckily, after about an hour of wandering around, some Americans took pity on us and explained where we needed to go. Praise God for kind foreigners who have also felt that stupid, lost feeling. They’re extremely compassionate. So, after we figured out where we needed to be, we hopped on the train. It was crowded when we got on, but there were still a few inches between us and the next people. (standing only left, of course). But as we continued on the line, more and more people got on. Eventually I just couldn’t see how we could get any more people on the train. But, somehow, with the aid of a lot of awkward maneuvering and rearranging, we managed to. I can no longer say I’ve never been on a train where pushing was required. With my suitcase, I felt like I was playing a huge game of twister, the goal being not to fall over on all the business men around me. It was an experience. We stayed in Kamata that night (a bit south of actual Tokyo), and got up somewhat early the next day to head to Tokyo Disneyland. It being the first time for most of us in Tokyo station, we had a slight moment of tension about where and when to buy tickets, but it all worked out in the end, and we were on our way to the most popular attraction in the Land of the Rising Sun. It was crowded. I’m talking, thousands upon thousands of people crowded. Cedar Point was like a drop in a bucket compared to this. It was like Disneyland was a sandwich left from a picnic lunch, and all the little ants in the area heard about it and flocked. The kids were on break, so they apparently got a discount. Needless to say, we didn’t ride many rides (and one of the three that we did try to ride broke in the middle, so we had to walk off…). But, I did get a lot of time with Patty and Tammy’s friend Erin from college. It was nice to talk to those girls for the day (since that’s about all we did besides wander around, use the bathroom, and eat). When we got back to Kamata, though, Erin, Patty and I ate at our first stand-up Udon (fat noodles in a broth) shop. There was a lot of sniffling… The next day I got up a little later and headed with Patty (the others had gone to Ueno) to a flee market in Kamata. It was a longer walk than we expected, but we eventually found the few souls trying to dispose of their unwanted items. And you thought an American flee market was random…there was anything from old Hello Kitty stuff to beautiful kimono fabric and traditional wooden shoes. Not being satisfied with the range of junk at this smaller Tokyo suburb, though, we decided to head to Shinjuku to their flee market. I was pleasantly surprised by what we found. Laid-back people. It was amazing. I strolled around the market for over an hour NOT IN A HURRY. Wow. And I even bought a ring and paper lantern. Aaaaaah. Lazy shopping. After Shinjuku we decided to meet the other group in Ueno. Unfortunately, we left the lazy meandering behind when we stepped on the train (well, actually, it was a subway this time). What we found in Ueno was another mad house. Worse than the train. Worse than Disneyland. It was nutso. Cherry blossom viewing, or “Hanami” (literally “flowerviewing”) is the most popular spring activity in Japan (before this I thought it was going to Disneyland…). There is one particular row in Ueno park where cherry blossoms line both sides. This path that day was, literally, a river of people, with picnics and drunken carrying-on taking place on its banks. It was great = ). It was like a huge fair, but better. It was a huge party, and everyone was invited. Definitely a dose of culture I hadn’t experienced before. We didn’t stay in Ueno long, though, because both groups were dog-tired, so Patty and I got Subway (woohoo for American food!) and collapsed in our hotel room. Let’s see, what day are we on…April 2nd. We sent Tiffany and Keith on their way (back home) that morning, and headed to Asakusa (an area with a bunch of tourist-trap shops and traditional temple-y kinds of things. It was interesting, but again, very crowded, so after we had our fill of marketed culture, we went back to Kamata to meet Patty and head for church – Tammy’s first service in English since SEPTEMBER. The train to Noborito (the station where the church was) took longer than we thought, and when we got there, we had an unexpected fan (a very drunk man who followed us around for a while, we’ll just say, who thought we were “pretty”). But, thankfully, though we were late, Christine Huber met us at the station, and led us to the church. The service was so refreshing, probably largely because it was in English. Afterward, the Hubers took us out for some yummy Chinese, and we were inspired by talking with them about ministry in Japan. Yay for vision! Without it the people perish (in the words of my brother, a thousand malted milkballs, well, I’ll say jellybeans this time, to the person who can identify where that comes from). Monday, April 3rd: Tired, but refreshed, we hopped on a train back to Ueno to finish our shopping. This time the park was less crowded and we got to really enjoy the cherry blossoms…and a traditional ramen shop. It was really interesting, and actually a little stressful since we didn’t know what we were doing. You pay just inside the door at a sort of “vending machine”, which spits out a ticket for you. The hostess gives you a sheet of paper (what looked to me like a questionnaire), and sends you to your own “booth” (it looked like a study booth in a library), where you fill out the sheet with how strong you want your ramen flavor, how much meat you want, how many noodles, etc. and hand it to the guy on the other side of the booth through a little window. A few minutes later, he hands you your ramen, then drops a bamboo screen between you and him (the kitchen), and you’re free to eat in “peace.” (with the sound of sniffing noses and slurping mouths attacking you from both sides). Another cultural experience: check! We didn’t do much more than shop the rest of the day, but we found another market deeper into the park, and had a lot of fun looking at all of the interesting pottery and jewelry, etc. In the afternoon, we said goodbye to Patty and she left for home, and a few hours later, Tammy got a call on her “keitai” (cell phone) from Lis, saying she was waiting for us in Tokyo station. So, we connected with her there, and enjoyed more Japanese food, including “shoe cream” (cream puffs) and “katsudon” (fried pork cutlet). Again whooped, we drug ourselves back to the hotel, laughing hysterically in the overcrowded train as Lis obliviously (and repeatedly) leaned her head on the shoulder/chest of the well-dressed businessman behind her. I don’t think he minded too much = ). And the last day: April 4, Tuesday: We sent Lis off in the morning, went back to Tokyo station to see Erin off to America, and after some trouble, met up with Jeni and Adriane in Tokyo station. Since their trip to Kyoto had been cold and rainy and had offered limited cherry blossom viewing, we once more hopped on a train to Ueno (this time with all our bags), and strolled around the park. This time we decided to actually partake in the “hanami” experience, so Tammy and Adriane split “yakisoba” (fried noodles), and Jeni and I shared a shrimp-filled serving of “okonomiyaki” (literally: fried things you like, but is like a pancake with random things mixed in). It was yummy, but I could have done without so much (whole, non-shelled, baby) shrimp. Other events that filled the day before heading back to Funehiki: spending an hour picking out beads for a necklace for me, Adriane buying a kimono and obi, and me kicking over a guy’s coffee on him at Starbucks. Yeah, that was embarrassing. Woops. Well, we made it back, and I definitely fulfilled my main goal of the trip: seeing cherry blossoms. Our three trips to Ueno park did it for me. Next year: hopefully more Southwestern Japan, accompanied by those I love. Oh, yes, and during our re-uniting meeting with the rest of the team, we passed out “omiage” (food souvenirs from wherever we went). Cristy brought Reese’s pieces. We decided Jeni had been in Japan to long, when after tasting them, she exclaimed, “These things are amazing!!! I never knew they existed!!”